We had no leaf spot or sunburn problems with 'Ballerina' in a northwest facing bed that gets full sun from about 10:00 am to 3:00 pm during the summer. Usually looked very nice, but were in a spot we started to limit to one deep supplemental watering a month. While they did survived on this through the dry heatwave of 2011, they suffered worse than most everything else in the bed, so were eventually replaced with autumn sage and flame acanthus. Would not have any reservations about using them around Dallas where they get at least a bit of late afternoon shade in the summer and weekly irrigation as needed. May also work well in other exposures, but this is all we are familiar with.

If the tops are struggling it is due to the cutting of roots. It may be a good idea to rig up some shading to be used until the struggling stops. This is one of the reasons planting in fall is to be preferred over spring planting wherever climate permits (in other words USDA 6 and above, using cold hardy selections): if it were getting cooler instead of hotter and the shrubs were not trying to produce tender new spring growth they would be less prone to top damage after root correction. You work on the roots at planting - and put up with any wilting or shriveling that may result from this at first - in order to prevent complete failure (girdling of roots or toppling of entire plant) perhaps many years down the road due to the presence of deformed roots. In your picture I may see a little droopiness of foliage. The browning of the flowers is them simply aging and going over as they always do. FYI the respective spellings are Hawthorn Tree and Nathaniel Hawthorne.

I need some help/advice. We had 2 of these plants die after moving into our home last year. I am wanting to plant them again so they match the other ones that are still alive. I know NOTHING about gardening. Every plant I have inside dies. Do I need to get any special soil or food to make sure these ones survive? I was told they are Indian hawthorns. Any advice on how to plant these properly would be appreciated. I am in San Antonio if that matters.

[For some reason I could not enter a comment in OP's thread.] In Central Texas Indian hawthorn benefits from improved soil. Mulch is indispensable. They typically need supplemental irrigation for the first three years, thereafter during periods of extended drought. The easiest way to ensure adequate moisture is with drip irrigation on a timer. Then you'll never have to ask each other, "Did you water the Indian hawthorns today?" There are at least 20 cultivars (varieties) of Indian hawthorn out there, so if you want an exact match, you'll need to contact a reputable landscaper experienced with the species, unless you're fortunate enough for an expert here to ID your cultivar based on photos.